Now the Dept of Health might wake up

Maybe the Dept, Dr Reilly and the HSE will realise that this cow has been well and truly milked dry.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1027/breaking37.html

Within the profession we know of other pharmacies and pharmacists in similar positions. They are only being kept open by the grace and favour of their banks. The banks know that if they are sold off, presuming that they could find a buyer, that the loans would not be cleared. If they are closed then the whole thing is a write off.
I really feel for the pharmacists and other staff in the McSweeney group. The uncertainty must be horrendous. Hopefully they will still have a job at the end of this.

Octobers Article in IP

Here it is. Enjoy.

How is your professional role valued?

I picked this up from another forum.

Accounts recently filed by Euro General Retail Ltd show revenues of €48 million in the 12 months to the end of May 10th last year – a drop of 4.5 per cent on 2009. However, gross profit margin increased by seven percentage points to 35 per cent

So a huckster shop selling all kinds of cheap tat, with zero training or regulation and negligible customer service, can have an average mark-up of nearly 54% and that’s OK; but, according to the Harneys and Hobbits of this world, a heavily regulated and highly trained professional pharmacist, up to his/her eyes with ethical obligations and legal requirements, should make do with less than half that. Go figure.

I await the FEMPI style regulations for pound shop style outlets. It should be along any day soon.

Letter to todays Indo

Irish Independent 29 April 2011 – Letter

THE Retail Excellence survey results, published in yesterday’s newspaper, show that pharmacy sales have continued to decline at a faster rate than any other part of the retail sector, with the exception of ladies’ fashion, thus giving the lie to the fatuous notion that pharmacists are a “sheltered” profession, isolated from the downturn.

Both the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association have previously identified the Irish pharmacy profession as the most deregulated and most competitive in the EU, something which seems to have escaped the attention of many commentators in this country.

DARRAGH J O’LOUGHLIN
TUAM, CO GALWAY

Again it speaks for itself.

Well that was quick!

A little less than 3 weeks ago I wished James Reilly well in his new post as Minister for Health. A friend said to me that he was just Mary Harney with a beard. I now have two pictures in my mind. The first is Mary Harney with a beard and the other is James Reilly in a frock. I’m not sure which is the most disturbing. It was my wish at that time that he did not give me as much material for my blog and articles as his predecessor. Well I need not worry. That creative well will not dry up.

The latest round of FEMPI cuts announced yesterday is the biggest sign yet that nothing has changed. To add insult to injury the press release was filled with the same type of misinformation as the previous regime. I wonder how long we will have to wait to see the same level of cuts in payments to GPs, not that I would wish it on them. Suffice to say, I won’t be holding my breath.

I know that the country is screwed financially and otherwise but what’s wrong with sitting down with representative bodies in a meaningful way and looking for agreed ways of making savings. I guess that is just too simple.